The incredibly skilled folks over at NextFab Studios have announced their second annual Project Challenge, dishing out a $1000 prize (you heard me), to the most popular project submitted to the contest. Here’s some more details from their website:

It’s a $1000 prize for what you’ve wanted to be working on all along. Don’t let that project you’ve always dreamed of working on become another New Year’s resolution you wish you had fulfilled – you can do it now, and you can make it here.

Projects should have some physical, material component to them – something that can make use of NextFab’s tools and services – but otherwise don’t be shy! Art, science, invention, or the amazing but inexplicable – all are welcome.

The contest runs through January 6th, and you can submit your project through NextFab’s official website. All entries will be hidden from the public until January 7th, when the voting begins.

How’s it work? You’ll be able to share your project with friends, family, coworkers… anyone and everyone you think might give you a vote. The project with the most votes on January 20th wins. So yes, this is a bit of a popularity contest.

The winning project will be awarded in person at NextFab’s 2nd Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, January 21st.

For more information, hit up the NextFab website. Good luck!
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I need constant stimulation. Any down time in stimulus leaves me antsy and fidgety. I’m the guy who checks email on his phone while stopped red lights, the guy who needs the TV on for background noise. Imagine my restlessness when I use the microwave. Time passes so much slower when I’m hungry and I can see a countdown of the time until I can house some Hungry Man frozen dinner. Good thing some University of Pennsylvania students created the μWave (pronounced micro-wave, mu-wave, or u-wave), a device that helps ease my hunger pangs by distracting me with Youtube videos.

The μWave is a combination of an Internet enabled tablet and microwave. When a user inputs a cook time, the μWave finds and plays a Youtube video the same length as the cook time. Brainchild of UPenn students, the device won first place in the PennApps hackathon securing the students $2,500 and the chance to present their hack to Google NYC.

The μWave is the classic “why didn’t I think of that” hack that solves a problem I never knew I had. By just knowing the μWave exists, I find myself more impatient than usual when I warm up day old pizza. Suddenly, I wish there was a Youtube video playing at work while I nuked instant oatmeal. It would make the office microwave line less awkward and I wouldn’t have to fish for topics to talk about. Waiting for the microwave timer to tick down is more painfully boring than ever.

Using established familiar technology means it is easier for the hack to gain consumer adoption. There’s no new cutting edge hardware with the μWave. There’s no new complex software to learn since nearly mostly everyone can figure out how to use a microwave. The incredible insight comes from the alleviating the minor distress of waiting for something to heat up. That small downtime is replaced by having Youtube entertainment beamed into my eyes while my popcorn is beamed with 2.5 gigahertz waves. The future is now!

I am first to admit that the premise of this device, fulfilling the need for constant stimulation, is far from a good thing. I’m ambivalent to having so much content readily available to consume through computers and smart phones. Sometimes it’s great because I feel connected with the world and what’s happening. Other times, I feel like I’m missing out if I don’t consume it all. The second I stand in a line I pull out my phone to check Facebook and Twitter. When I wake up in the morning I rollover and turn on the TV to find out the news and weather. There’s never a time when there isn’t something to do, when there isn’t something to consume. It’s great and horrible at the same time.

In order to consume and do as much as I can, I find myself multi-tasking constantly. There are only so many hours in the day and I feel like I need to cram as much into it as possible. I answer emails on the toilet, eat lunch at office meetings, and confirm friend requests waiting for the train. The μWave lets me heat up a Hot Pocket while watching a cat video. Essentially, it fulfills my strange wants.

These UPenn students are perceptive to notice how people use something as simple as a microwave and improve upon it. Some may see their hack as silly and useless, but I see it as insightful and clever.

Just in time for the holiday season, Microsoft hosted an exclusive party for its “Inner Circle” members showcasing the latest and greatest Windows Phone product line running the new Mango operating system.

Held on Wednesday, November 11th in Center City at the trendy RAW Sushi & Sake Lounge, guests were permitted some hands on time with the newest features the Mango OS has to offer. The event also featured complementary appetizers, drinks and mingling with Windows Phone product specialists showing off all the new apps and sleek hardware. The great folks at RAW played wonderful hosts with a smorgasbord of fresh sushi, deliciously deep-fried hors d’oeuvres and my favorite, lots and lots of Sapporo!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The Mango update added over roughly 500 new features to the Windows Phone. Microsoft finally improved on some of the difficult multitasking issues we experienced during our time with the Samsung Focus. We also noticed the Mango update added push notification functionality to hubs and tiles, which really makes the screen more animated and truly seem alive.

Overall, most information on the screen seemed engineered to be viewed quicker and faster than your average smartphone. Whereas iPhone users may tend to become a bit more sedentary on their phones, Microsoft has designed the new line of Windows Mango phones to implore a more efficient glance and go experience for the user.

With the Mango update, the Windows Phone has definitely made itself a viable competitor to both iOS and Android devices in the fight for marketplace dominance this holiday season!

Our friends over at NextFab Studios (the folks responsible for that epic mustache trophy at our Halloween party w/ Indy Hall) are running one hell of an awesome contest. Sure, we giveaway a lot of gadget swag, but this amazing set of speakers from NextFab are pretty special. See, they’re handmade.

Crafted by University of the Arts alum Jesse Gerard and his company Carrot Grant, these Symphony Cricket speakers are handcrafted by him and his creative team. They normally retail for about $400, and NextFab is giving you a chance to score a set for free.

All you have to do is give NextFab Studios’ Facebook page a like. Seriously, that’s it. They’re trying to build their community to over 1,000 fans. You can get more information here.

What are you waiting for? Go like ‘em! You’ve got til December 15th at midnight, but come on. You really don’t need that much time, do you?

Love camping? Live in Philadelphia? Then you might want to check out this Kickstarter, launched by a group of Philadelphia-based camping lovers, notably product designers Ben Ashpole and Jay Olman.

Meet the Pocket Grill, the world’s most compact, full-size camping grill that can, as you can imagine, fit right in your pocket. And just like most cookware you’d take on a camping trip, this little guy is made out of stainless steel.

Their goal is a lofty one, set at $40,000. But with the sort of perks these guys are dishing out, I can definitely see them reaching it. Donate a mere $40, and you’ll get a grill in the mail when they go into production. Kick in an extra $10, and they’ll throw in a cookbook made just for the Pocket Grill.

So! Hit up the Kickstarter, check out their official website, and follow them on Twitter for updates regarding the product. Best of luck, guys!

The Pocket Grill
www.kck.st/qrLcLq
www.pocketgrill.com

It’s Saturday and you and your loved ones are home with nothing to do. It’s a beautiful summer day and it seems like a shame to waste it. Whatever will you do?

Well, thanks to the crew at The Weekend Map, you never have to ask yourself that question again. They have just launched the Philadelphia version of the interactive weekend planner; you just go to the site and decide what you want to look for in your area. Looking for a Farmers Market to buy some local veggies? Done. What if you want to check out some Jazz in Northern Liberties? The Map can do that. Maybe you’re in search of a yoga group to join in the morning? No problem. Just click on the pop up symbol on the interactive map and it will give you all the necessary information so that you are never bored on a weekend again.

Now, the Map is still in Beta, so things are a bit glitchy at this point. But once everything loads the Map serves as a one stop shop to plan a weekend in or around Philadelphia. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean. It just might make me go outside and get some sun every once in awhile.

The Weekend Map – Philadelphia
www.theweekendmap.com/philadelphia

The kind folks over at Cadence Watch Company were nice enough to offer to send me their 4-bit binary watch to review here on Geekadelphia. I was actually in the market for a new watch to wear to work, so I jumped at the opportunity. I have to admit when I checked out the pictures online of the watch; I dug the subtle elegant geekiness of it. Being a designer/IT person, I am very particular about not only the functionality of my gadgets but how they look as well.

The watch retails for about $90. The first thing you notice about the watch, other than the eye-catching packaging, is it definitely feels substantial and solid in your hands. It has a genuine leather strap and a very simple design aesthetic, which makes it a watch you can wear out with friends and to work the next day. The watch is also waterproof and glows in the dark, which are both big pluses in my book.

I have been wearing the watch for about 2 weeks now and in my daily routines, it has been bumped, jostled, doused with water; and it has not only stood the test, but caused some interesting conversations as well. I was worried at first about the overall build of the watch, but its very well constructed and is a pretty solid little time piece. I have to admit I am now a fan of Cadence watches and if you’re looking for new watch, I highly suggest it.

This sleek case not only protects your precious Apple product, but gives it almost twice the amount of play time. It will keep your iPod playing music at the party for 34 hours after everyone else’s Touch has been gasping desperately for an outlet.

I put this extra battery/protective case through the bootcamp. Give or take a couple hours, the pack does exactly what it says it will do. It keeps your iPod touch playing continuously long into the next day and the day after.

The extra six hours of video time is perfect for those of you taking a plane ride to Australia. I even took the time to give my iPod a good toss down my wooden staircase. Those of you with butter fingers will be happy to know that this case gives you some much needed protection from the occasional drop from the 3rd floor. FYI the iPod touch still works perfectly.

Now, all this extra battery life and lead lined protection must add some hefty bulk to your sleek and slim touch. Not so. The case cleanly encapsulates your iPod in a cloud of poer and protection without you ever even noticing that there is anything around it. There is even an external usb port so you don’t even have to remove the case to charge your ipod, external battery, or synch it to your PC.

You can grab the Mophie Juice Pack Air for $49.95 at Mophie.com.

Note: Author Knows Nothing of Circuits, This Image May Be Wrong

The folks over at The Hacktory are hosting another event with the Prometheus Radio Project, inviting prospective students to learn how to build their very own radio transmitter.

According to the Hacktory, “participants will be soldering parts and tuning up [their] very own FM radio transmitters. At the end [they'll] have a simple low-power transmitter that you can [be] used to broadcast across a room. Beginners are welcome but space is limited.”

For more information on the class, visit The Hacktory’s official website.

Build Your Own FM Transmitter @ the Hacktory
June 18th, 2011, $15

The Hacktory
1524 Brandywine Street (19130)
www.thehacktory.org

The Belkin Conserve Insight is a cool gadget that helps you monitor your electricity usage in your home. “Insight” is the key word here, because in my test spin of the product I’ve been able to glean some interesting anecdotes about the way my precious electronics contribute to the electricity bill each month.

The premise of the product is simple. Take the Insight, plug it in to one of your electronics or appliances. Right away, you get instant feedback on wattage, cost, and CO2 production. Then, go ahead and use it like you would normally. After 45 minutes it comes up with an average across all three measures, and the longer you let it sit the more accurate the reading is.

I’ve often wondered how much my electronics cost me. Here’s a chart that highlights different electronics and states that I used them in, and their corresponding cost per month.

Here are more specific breakdowns about the things I was trying to test…

• How much money does it cost to leave my desktop computer on 24/7? (Desktop, Duel Monitors, Printer, & Speakers)
  $14.04 and 123 lbs of CO2 per month.
• What about putting it in sleep mode vs. shutting down completely?
  Sleep mode is $3.84 per month, while everything completely off still cost $3.39 per month! This was very surprising to me that with everything turned off, it was still pulling about 10 watts of electricity.
• How much money per month does my monitor from 2003 use vs. the one I bought in 2010?
  Using the computer with my older monitor from 2003 costs $11.30 per month. With the monitor I bought in 2010, it costs $9.40 a month. While both are Energy Star compliant, it’s fascinating to see just how much better the newer monitor is.
• If I play Portal 2 non-stop for a month, how much does that cost vs. normal use?
  I did a three-hour Portal 2 session, and it estimated that if I kept that up for a month it would be $17.15 a month, compared to the $14.04 a month for normal use. I would presume this slight jump in cost would hold also true for most CPU-intensive games. A small price to pay when there are Companion Cubes to be incinerated.
• How much does my entire Entertainment Center use in a month (TV, DVR, DVD Player, Wii, Xbox, Wireless Router, etc.)?
  I plugged the Insight into the power strip that controls the entertainment center in my living room, and found that after a few days of catching up on All My Circuits and The Real Housewives of Sim City, this costs $10.09 and 88.6 lbs of CO2 per month.
• How much does a normal day of laptop use cost?
  At my day job, we have laptops and I’m often back and forth between conference rooms and my desk. After a normal workday, it was about $2.13 and 18.6 lbs of CO2 per month.
• How much electricity does my iPhone charger pull when plugged in and it’s not charging?
  Hardly anything! I was very surprised at this one because when the charger was plugged but not charging, or when the phone wasn’t connected, it calculated less than $0.05 and less than 0.05 lbs of CO2 per month. Kudos to Apple for that.

Given all of these “insights”, I know that I’ve started to be more conscience about turning off things I don’t need on 24/7, helping both my piggy bank and the environment.

And, lucky for you, Belkin has provided us a Conserve Insight that can help you track your usage as well. Leave a comment about what gizmo of yours you would monitor, and we’ll pick one poster at random at the end of next week. Good luck!